


This Way Round

by Jibbly



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, The Blade of Marmora - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-23
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-09-19 08:37:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9430529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jibbly/pseuds/Jibbly
Summary: His entire body is so tired. He’s lying on the floor, can feel the solid surface underneath his back. He groans as he tries to open his eyes. He’s hurt and wants to quit so badly.He hears someone step up to him and he opens his eyes. It’s blurry at first, but he would recognize that face anywhere. “Shiro?”Shiro walks up to him and kneels down next to his prone body.The older man gives him a gentle smile and stretches out his hand for Keith to take.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> okay, this is like ....  
> It's just something I wanted to do as soon as I saw the fucking episode  
> Tumblr @jibblyuniverse  
> twitter @jibblyuniverse4  
> ig @jibblyuniverse

He takes the knife out of the jammed floor unit and jumps down into it. He drops down onto a new floor and grunts at the impact it has on his knees. He rises to his feet, holding onto his side as he sees the door to another room in front of him.

“I guess I really wasn’t supposed to go in that room.” He says with a smirk to himself, finally out of that loop. His vision is starting to get fuzzy, and he knows he’s about to pass out from exhaustion.

His knees give out from under him, and he slams down on the floor. He takes one last look at the door, before he blacks out.

His entire body is so tired. He’s lying on the floor, can feel the solid surface underneath his back. He groans as he tries to open his eyes. He’s hurt and wants to quit so badly.

He hears someone step up to him and he opens his eyes. It’s blurry at first, but he would recognize that face anywhere. “Shiro?”

Shiro walks up to him and kneels down next to his prone body.

The older man gives him a gentle smile and stretches out his hand for Keith to take. Keith rolls onto his side and looks up at Shiro, the pain his body is in making him cringe.

“Good job, man. You did it.”

Keith stays lying there, his temple against the hard floor as he looks up at Shiro. “What?”  He looks at the hand Shiro still has towards him, and reaches for it. His fingers sliding against the other’s warm gloves. 

Shiro helps him up and he has to take in a shuddering breath as he feels something throb in his side.

“they told me that you lasted longer than anyone else. All you have to do is give them the knife.”

Keith presses a hand against his side and winches. Something’s definitely bruised there. He looks at Shiro and frowns. “What are you talking about?”

“Just give them the knife, so we can get out of here.” Shiro is still smiling at him.

Keith just shakes his head, staring at him. “I can’t give it to them.” Shiro needs to know how much this means to him.

Shiro frowns, though. He’s angry and glaring at Keith. Something Keith isn’t used to and it makes him clench his teeth. “What is it with you and that thing?”

Taking a step towards the other, Keith tries to reach out for him, but Shiro takes a step back. The action makes another ache in Keith’s chest that he knows has nothing to do with the beating he just took upstairs.

He lets his hand drop. “It’s the only thing I have from my past…. I need…. I need to know who I am.”

Shiro’s voice gets a lit bit louder and Keith doesn’t know how to deal with the look of frustration he’s getting. “You are a paladin of Voltron. That’s all you need to know.”

Keith looks down at his feet. “I’m sorry, Shiro. But I can’t. I need to know.”

Shiro takes a step away from him. “You’re just being selfish. Fine, be that way.” He turns back towards the door he came from and Keith squints at him. “But you’re choosing to be alone. “

Keith palms the knife that he still has in his hand as he hears Shiro’s footsteps leaving him. He’s going to be abandoned. Again. Looking back up, he sees that Shiro is almost to the door. Shiro’s retreating back something he never wanted to see again.

“Shiro, wait!” He yells out and gets his feet moving from under him. Shiro’s figure is about to be engulfed in a light that has started to appear out of the door, when Keith grabs hold of his back. The knife is shaking in his hand and he has his face pressed against Shiro’s back. He can feel every move of muscle every time Shiro breathes.

Shiro stays just outside of that light and turns around to face Keith.

Keith lifts his head and give him a pleading look. “Don’t leave me. Not again. Please.”

“Why should I?” Shiro asks, now that he is fully facing Keith. His hands raising up and settling on the sides of Keith’s face.

The feel of those hands and fingers carding through his hair make his breath get stuck in his throat as he looks into Shiro’s eyes. Confused to what the other is doing. “Shiro?”

The knife is still in his hand when he sees Shiro leaning down. He has enough time to move, to shove Shiro away, do anything, but he stays frozen in place. He feels when Shiro’s mouth presses against his, and it’s when there’s a warm pressure probing at them, does he realize what’s happening.

He places his hands on both of Shiro’s shoulders and pushes back, but it doesn’t do anything. He is about to shove, when a hand yanks at his nape, tugging on his hair. The pain makes him yelp and that’s when Shiro’s tongue dives into his mouth.

Keith’s neck aches as Shiro kisses him. His face is flushed and he doesn’t know what’s going on. The kiss is deep and it makes him close his eyes whenever Shiro’s tongue brushes over his, making it move against his.

They break apart and Keith pants out, he lowers his head and presses it against Shiro’s shoulder. He needs to catch his breath.

He feels Shiro’s hands wandering from his neck, and whips his head up to stare at the other with wide eyes. “Shiro, what are you doing?”

Keith gasps as he feels a hand start going down his front. He is trembling when that warm hand reaches his groin and cups him through the material of the suit. He jerks at the contact, but Shiro just pulls in closer to his body and presses a kiss right under his ear.

“Keith, do you love me?” It’s said right into his ear, and Keith places one of his hands to push against the hand that Shiro has on him.

“Shiro…” He is on the verge of tears with all the emotions he’s going through. He doesn’t know what’s going on. He doesn’t understand.

Shiro’s other hand cradles his head again and moves them so that they can kiss again. Keith’s kissing back, but he hisses at a twist of Shiro’s hand on his dick. His knees are starting to feel weak again and the fingers on the knife are starting to slip.

“Do you love me, Keith?” Shiro asks again and Keith gulps in air as they break apart from the kiss. His face is hot and so are his eyes.

He raises both of his arms up, around Shiro’s shoulders and careful not to nick him with the knife. He’s crying as he goes into another soft kiss. It’s tender and quick and when he breaks out of it, he presses his face into the crook of Shiro’s neck.

“I…I love you so much, Shiro.”

The hand that was on him moves away and Keith has a second of relief, before he feels both of Shiro’s hands move to the back of his legs and yank him up. The arms he has around Shiro’s neck tighten, because e’s afraid of falling. Shiro lifts him up off the floor and moves their hips together.

Keith chokes on some saliva that had gathered in his throat and winds his legs around Shiro’s hips.

\---

Shiro watches the screen and can’t believe what he’s seeing.

He turns to the Galra man next to him, anger barely being kept in check. “Stop the test.”

The other doesn’t do more than look in Shiro’s direction. “Knowledge or death. Those were the terms and he has accepted them.”

Shiro gestures his hand to the screen and the two people on it. “What does this have to do with knowledge or death? This is you guys messing with his mind.” He’s starting to yell, but he doesn’t care.

“The suit your friend is wearing lets him manifest his greatest hopes and fears. This is something he has had in his mind for a long time.”

Shiro looks back up and the monitor and swallows as the sight of Keith holding onto that other Shiro. He turns away and starts walking towards the door. “I’m putting a stop to this.”

There’s two other people that walk in front of him and block the path to the door. He grits his teeth and curses under his breath.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Valentine's day fic updates :)

Keith’s heartbeat is racing as he looks into Shiro’s face. There’s this intense expression that he’s not used to seeing on the older man, and it is making him nervous. He readjusts his hand with the knife, careful that he doesn’t accidentally stab Shiro in the back. “Shiro…. Put me down…” His voice is soft.

The words just make Shiro’s hands tighten under his thighs and then they are moving towards the floor. Keith is laid down on his back and he can feel the heat of Shiro against his hips, being cradled between his legs. He coughs to clear his throat. “This isn’t…. what I had in mind….”

Keith holds his breath as he feels Shiro start to lean down on top of him. He unwinds his arms from around Shiro’s shoulders and presses them flat against the other’s chest, stopping him. “Hey, Stop.” Keith says, and adds a little more pressure into his hands. “We can’t be doing this. I….”

His eyes widened as he remembers where they are. What he’s supposed to be doing. He’s supposed to be in the middle of a test.

When there’s pressure against his palms, Keith glares up into those gray eyes. “Shiro, get off me.” He puts as much sternness as he can in his voice. Something isn’t right.

“Keith, I love you. “Shiro doesn’t get off of him, just keeps on putting more and more of his weight against Keith’s arms.

Keith’s face flushes again at the way those words spill tenderly out of Shiro’s mouth. His grip on the other’s shoulders weaken just the tiniest bit, but it’s enough for Shiro to Push down and recapture Keith’s mouth in a kiss.

Keith’s hands are pressed up against both of their chests, squished.

“I love you.” Shiro says between kisses. His lips brushing against his as he speaks. “Let me show you.”

“Shiro…. please, get off. I’m serious.” He tries in-between kisses. His eyebrows furrowing and adrenaline spiking with a sense of danger that’s prickling in the back of his head. Something is wrong. Shiro is wrong.

Shiro doesn’t listen, just presses more of himself against Keith. One hand goes back down to palm at Keith’s groin.

Keith bites him. Hard.

Shiro groans and reels up, a hand flying to his bleeding mouth as he glares down at Keith. The younger man, trying to use the distraction to twist around and get to his feet.

\---

Shiro is yanking against the two guards that are currently restraining him. He’s being forced to watch this. Watch someone with his face and his voice do this to Keith.

“this is wrong.” He growls under his breath.

The galra closest to the monitor doesn’t turn back towards him. Just continues to watch the screen as Keith seems to come to the realization that something is wrong.

“He needs to be able to overcome this, if he is to proceed to the next level of the test.”

Shiro is about to open his mouth to tell him where he can shove his test, when they all stagger off balance when something shakes the ship.

“What’s going on!” One of them yells and shoots Shiro a glare.

Another blast and a sharp tingling in the back of his head that he recognizes whenever Black or any of the other Lions senses danger.

“It’s the Red Lion! It has a deep mental link with Keith.”

Another shaking has them all faltering.

He feels the guard’s grip on him loosen and uses the chance to throw his legs out under one of them and cause him to fall. The other getting a shoulder to the gut and then Shiro is sprint down into the hallways to get to Keith.

\---

He is about half way to standing up, getting one knee off the ground, when he’s slammed back onto the floor. Keith lets out a noise of surprise as he feels fingers card through his hair and grip hard to shove his face into the ground.

“Where do you think you’re going, Keith?” Shiro is pressing him into the ground, his heavier bulk weighing him down. His voice is pure anger and Keith shivers when he feels something wet hit the back of his neck.

There’s the thick smell of copper in the air and he can feel Shiro mouth at his ear. He is terrified.

“Shiro, please….” His eyes are watering again and he jumps as he feels the hand that isn’t in his hair tug at the zipper of the suit. His shoulders and the top of his back being exposed to the air, and Keith shoves his elbow back to try and hit Shiro in the stomach.

Shiro just grips him by the elbow and yanks the arm hard behind Kith’s back. Keith yells out and thinks about how close he had been to dislocation the limb.

“you hit me again, and I’m going to smash that pretty little face of yours into the floor.” His voice is scratchy and it almost sounds like static in Keith’s ears. It’s completely alien and entirely Shiro at the same time.

He sobs out as he feels more of his suit coming undone and Shiro’s body heat pressing into him. “Stop.” It’s a gasp when a metal hand presses squarely into the small of his back, his head being pressed angst the floor by his temple. Keith tries to get Shiro to look at his face. “Shiro, please stop.” He shuts his eyes as that hand slides inside his suit.

“KEITH!”

He jerks and moves his head against the floor, until he’s looking at one of the doors. A figure running towards him, metal hand glowing bright purple and a furious look on his face.

His eyes are wide as he sees Shiro run towards him. The person on top of him growls out a curse and removes his hand from inside Keith’s suit. Standing up and off of the red paladin.

Keith turns to look at the Shiro that had been on him, and sees how flickers out of existence right before, the other Shiro’s glowing hand can tear into his chest.

He’s panting on the ground, on his knees as he looks up at the new Shiro.

\---

Shiro stopped right as the doors opened up to show him what was happening inside the test room, his blood going cold.

Keith was being held down and shaking as his clone was undoing the bindings of the galra suit.

“Stop.” He heard Keith sob out. The other Shiro’s bleeding lip dripping onto his hair. “Shiro, please stop.”

He saw red and yelled out as he ran into the room. “KEITH!”

His blood was singing in his ears as he charged at the replica, ready to tear out his throat as Keith looked up at him with tears in his eyes.

He was so close, his metal arm glowing and ready to spear into the other’s chest, but it met nothing but air. Shiro was breathing out hard and turning every way to see if the other would appear somewhere else. But after a few seconds, and nothing happened, he looked down to Keith.

His heart ached as he took in the younger man.

There was blood on his shoulder and the back of his neck. His suit was hanging off his shoulders, and his eyes were red with tears.

He was looking up at Shiro with hope and so much suspicion. “Shiro….?”

Shiro swallowed down a lump of nerves and bent down slowly to his knee. “I’m sorry.” Shiro said and almost felt like tearing up himself as Keith looked into his eyes and must have seen something. Because he started to sob and reached out for him.

Shiro pulled Keith to him and held on tight as Keith sobbed into his neck. He felt his heart breaking as he carefully reached behind Keith and zipped his suit back up.

The door to the room opened up again and he glared as they started to be surrounded by the blades of Marmora. Keith heard them, too. His head lifting up from Shiro’s neck to stare at the soldiers.

Shiro tucked one of Keith’s arms over his shoulder and helped him up, his eyes locking onto the leader’s as he stepped into the room as well.

“We’re leaving. Voltron doesn’t need allies like you.”

“You cannot be allowed to leave with your lives if he does not finish the test or give up the knife.”

Shiro glared and stiffened when the people around them shifted into offensive position.

\---

Keith looked around and saw how they were surrounded. How Shiro was holding him close to him and was ready to fight all these people while Keith could barely stand.

He looked down at the knife that was at his feet. He slipped his arm out of Shiro’s hold, the other starting to look at the red paladin.

Keith gripped the knife and lifted it out towards the leader of the Marmora. “Take it.” He was so tired.

Shiro moved to his side. “Keith, that knife is the only thing- “

Keith cut him off. “I want to know who I am. What’s the secret of my past, but this?” His shakes the knife in his hand. “Isn’t worth risking my friend’s life. And if that means never knowing who I really am, then that’s fine with me.” He’s so tired.

It takes everyone by surprise when the blade in his hand starts to glow a bright purple and then it isn’t a knife. It’s a sword now.

He’s awakened it. Keith stares at the blade in his hand in awe as he hears someone speak.

“That means that Galra blood runs through your veins.”

\---

When they get back to the castle, everyone is asking what had happened. Why had Red started to attack and what had happened with the blade of Marmora? Keith had given them short answers and left the control room.

He needed to take a shower. He felt like it was vitally important that he take a shower.

He tears off his armor and body suit as he walks into the washing area. His entire body feel filthy and he turns the handle in one of the stalls. The water coming out freezing before it starts to steam against the tiles. Keith steps into it. The water heated to the point of being painful, but he just grabs the bar of soap from the side and washes himself with it.

He scrubs and scrubs and scrubs. His skin pink from the heat and the way his nails have been digging into his skin to wash it.

He can still feel his fear of when that other Shiro had been on top of him.

He had been so scared that the person he cares about the most in the whole galaxy had been about to rape him.

Keith hadn’t even been able to look at Shiro the whole way back to the Castle. Looking at somewhere just left to the other paladin’s face or in his general direction. Keith didn’t know what Shiro knew about what happened. If he had only seen what was happening when he had walked into the test room.

But he has a feeling that the other had been watching him.

Had seen him confess to that fake Shiro.

His eyes have that familiar burning sensation again as he washes himself one more time.

\---

He wraps himself up in a robe from the wash room and tucks his suit and armor under his arm as he makes his way back to his room. He waits as his door opens up and stops at the threshold when he sees Shiro sitting down on his bed. Elbows against his knees and face serious as he looks up at Keith.

Keith feels sick in his stomach when Shiro speaks.

“Keith, we need to talk about what happened out there.”


	3. Chapter 3

Keith very much does not want to talk about what just happened, especially with Shiro. He frowns and stays right in the center of the door. “I want to be alone right now.”

Shiro clenches his jaw and then stands up from Keith’s bed, using his hands to push against his knees. “I don’t think that that is a good idea.” He walks up to Keith and Keith looks just left of his eyes. “I want us to talk about what happened.”

Crossing his arms in front of himself, Keith glares and really does look into Shiro’s eyes. “I said I’m fine. I don’t need you coddling me.”

Shiro frowns and shifts on his feet. The look on his face is unreadable and then he continues. “You didn’t fight back in there.” His tone is soft and it makes Keith grind his teeth. He really doesn’t want to be pitied.

“If you were watching, then you know I did.”

“I know how you fight, Keith. And that was bare minimum, at best.”

He reaches forward and shoves Shiro’s left shoulder, the taller man being taken by surprise as he pushes past him and walks the rest of the way into his room. “Whatever, it’s over now. It was all some stupid test, anyway.” He keeps his back to Shiro in hopes that the other will get the hint and JUST LEAVE already.

It’s no dice, as he feels a hand on his shoulder and he is being spun around to face Shiro. It’s not too rough, but it still makes him flinch when he’s staring up at Shiro’s face.

The other’s hand flies off his shoulder and he lifts it up in a surrender pose. “Sorry.”

Keith doesn’t know what his face must look like, but it must be pretty pathetic if Shiro’s eyes are on him like they were.

It’s awkward for a minute, and then Shiro lets out a loud and frustrated sigh. “Keith…. Look….”

He’s struggling to think or say whatever he wants to say, but Keith still feels his heartbeat and the heat of Shiro’s hand on his shoulder. “It…” Keith flexes his fingers and then continues. “It’s not what you think. What happened down there, I was just….” Now he’s the one struggling for words.

“Keith, do you have feelings for me?”

There it is. Asked straightforward and Shiro looks nervous.

He hates the way that look is making his stomach tie itself in knots and bile rise up in his throat. ‘he doesn’t like me He thinks that I’m gross. He’ll leave me again.’

“Shiro, I…I…” His eyes are darting all over Shiro’s face and his breathing is getting a little harder to keep even.

‘lie.’ He thinks to himself, then Shiro won’t go.

“Kolivan said that your deepest thoughts and desires were manifested.”

“I don’t!” He gasps out, but he’s looking anywhere but Shiro now.

“Keith, it’s okay.” Shiro is moving towards him, but he doesn’t want him to. “Calm down, hey.”

Shiro reaches out and grips his upper arms, trying to ground him, but he tries to yank himself out of the other’s hands. “I don’t.”

“Keith, calm down. You’re going to make yourself pass out if you keep breathing like that.” Shiro is still gripping his arms, even though Keith is leaning away from him.

“I…” His pulse sounds so loud in his ears, and he doesn’t know what he’s saying anymore. “I can’t…You’ll leave…” Keith pulls weakly against Shiro’s hands again. “I’ll be by myself again…”

\---

It’s quiet in the room expect for Keith’s harsh breathing, the seconds going by forever, and Keith refusing to look at Shiro. The other hasn’t said anything, he’s just keeping his hands on Keith’s arms.

Shiro’s eyes are wide as he takes in Keith. The other paladin clearly more shaken up about what had happened than he had let on, but Shiro had already known that.

He’s panting and shaking in front of him, and guilt twists hard in the pit of Shiro’s stomach.

He doesn’t know what happened after he had been taken prisoner of the Galra empire, but Keith had been alone for all that time. He was sure of it.

Shiro just doesn’t understand why Keith is continuing to deny, but it’s awful to see him act this way.

He lets his hands drop from Keith’s arms, and then he’s stepping forward and pulling the other into his chest. Keith tenses up but it doesn’t stop him.

“I don’t know why you think I would be mad about that, but I’m not. I just….” He tightens his arms a bit more and continues. “I’m not going to leave you, okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i ended with sad instad of smut, like I had orginally planned, but oh well

**Author's Note:**

> Leave kudos and comments so I know what you guys think.


End file.
